farmers

[EPT] CAP reform – new regulations - Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) revision for 2014-2020

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) revision for 2014-2020 The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is due to be reformed by 2013. After a wide-ranging public debate the Commission presented on 18 November 2010 a Communication on "The CAP towards 2020", which outlines options for the future CAP and launched the debate with the other institutions and with stakeholders. On 12 October 2011 the Commission presented a set of legal proposals designed to make the CAP a more effective policy for a more (...)

EPHAC Open Letter to EU Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development to recognise a public health dimension of European food, farming and rural development policy

As agriculture ministers from the EU’s member states agreed a negotiating position on reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) at the 19 March AGRIFISH Council meeting, the European Public Health and Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC), of which EPHA is a member, sent a message to the ministers, urging them to recognise a public health dimension of European food, farming and rural development policy. Brussels, 26 March 2013 Dear Ministers, On March 19, 2013 at the AGRIFISH Council (...)

EU Parliament votes to adopt Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) measure as part of agricultural reform

The European Parliament voted on its plenary session on 13 March on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). As part of this vote, amendments concerning Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) were offered and adopted as part of the Parliament’s position for the second reading procedure. The relation between AMR and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) The adopted amendment 192 and 193 introduces a new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standard (containing a (...)

EU Agriculture Ministers reach agreement on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform

On 19 March 2013, agriculture ministers from the EU’s Member States agreed a negotiating position on reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). They reached an agreement on a number of issues: (1) the general approach to the proposals for the direct payments regulation; (2) the regulation for single common market organisation (CMO); (3) the rural development regulation; (4) and the horizontal regulation within the framework of reform of the CAP. Background - common agricultural (...)

[EPT] Fund for European Aid - European Fund - Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (updated on 18 March)

Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived The European Commission (DG Employment) has proposed to set up a European Aid Fund to help the most deprived persons in the EU. A successor to the Food Aid to the Most Deprived, this new Fund would support member state schemes not only by providing food aid to the most deprived people, but also clothing and other essential goods to homeless people and materially-deprived children (such as shoes, soap and shampoo). The proposal is yet to be (...)

European Commission proposes €3.9 million to help former tobacco workers in Austria

Tobacco is the single largest avoidable health risk in the EU, accounting for nearly 700 000 premature deaths each year. Around 50% of smokers die prematurely (on average 14 years earlier). This initiative is an example of how EU funds can be used to help former tobacco farmers and workers to find a new job and mitigate the social impacts of career change. The European Commission has proposed providing Austria with €3.9 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to (...)

[Press Release] Out of touch - European Parliament backs tobacco subsidies & votes an agriculture policy unfriendly to public health

Brussels, 13 March – The European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) is disappointed by the European Parliament’s approval of coupling subsidies to tobacco production. Tobacco should not have a place in the 2014-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). With this move, the European Parliament (EP) wants to inject taxpayer’s money into a toxic crop that causes nearly 700,000 annual deaths (1) in the EU. Today’s vote did very little to fix all that is (...)

[Press Release] EU agriculture budget must favour healthy foodstuff, not chronic disease in the form of tobacco subsidies

Brussels, 4 March – In the run up to next week’s European Parliament (EP) vote on the 2014-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), national delegations from the three largest political groups in the EP (1) are set to decide their negotiating mandate for the agriculture funds: a budge heading that will consume 38 percent of the next seven-year EU budget. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) calls on Europe’s political ‘families’ not to support the (...)

[Open Letter] 250 Organisations Alarmed by the Prospect of Regressive Common Agricultural Policy reform

A healthy common agricultural policy (CAP) is very relevant in the context of tackling chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). That is why the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) - along with more than 250 NGOs - have signed up to an open letter from civil society calling for a public health & environmental friendly CAP reform. This should be a wake-up call for all members of the European Parliament. Why is the (...)

‘Innovation in Veterinary Medicines and the Competitiveness of Livestock Farming in the EU’

The event organised by Zoetis (a global animal health company) examined the challenges faced by the animal livestock industry. EPHA attended the meeting to collect and present the key messages of the workshop for EPHA Members. the final Zoetis Workshop Summary report Sandra Beaty from Zoetis stressed that EU legislation should be based on evidences and science. In his presentation Prof. David Leaver, Emeritus Professor The Royal Agricultural College UK, pointed out that if (...)